you bet!

this is real nostalgia, for the first ever smh i read was covering a crooked nsw government in some detail. that one was libs, but tweedledum, tweedledee.

when government can be done in secret, it will be crooked.

a measure of the character of australians is the fatalistic acceptance that there is nothing to be done about it. that is why parliamentary rule debases the people, for they truly have no means to extract competent and honest management of public affairs from the politician's guild.

it doesn't have to be like that. a movement like "getup", but directed toward (adult) democracy rather than (adolescent) protest can extract from the bandit's guild laws establishing citizen initiative, direct election, and open administration of public affairs.

a measure of the character of australians is their unwillingness to even begin action of this nature. when you are raised on your knees, getting to your feet is a scary business.

that is another reason parliamentary rule debases the people: it turns them into a race of serfs, forelock-tuggers imprisoned in their own ignorance and fear.

it doesn't have to be like that. the pollies truly are 'paper-tigers'. if the people stand up, pollies will immediately transmute into docile clerks and administrators, and government "of the people", when "by the people", will finally be "for the people".

what are you waiting for?

DEMOS

I believe problem is that society as a whole is a lot more corrupt. Not many really care if the Government are corrupt because they reflect community values. Look at the WA State Labour Government. Judges probably head the list (remember Lionel Murphy). Minister after minister in WA have been removed due to links with Brian Bourke and Julian Grill. Which State Labour party can really claim any immunity? Unfortunately the Libs are not much better if at all. Though I would never had voted for One Nation Pauline Hanson though naive had more integrity than many of our State Politicians. It is time for people to wake up to the fact that private philosophy DOES affect and determine public performance. Only those in denial can't see this. Most people seem to vote along political lines rather than the personal integrity of the candidates.

DEMOS you do indeed graze in a different paddock than most of us.
Your quest for a different type of government is a lone one and bound to fail.
People power in this country is always going to be the way it is not expressed on election day.
The government of NSW is beyond belief, my party my government, have let me down our state and our party.
Climbing under the bed and rolling up into a ball will not bring me comfort.
I am ashamed of them, and it may not be the last reason to be so .
However can we look at the other side? the conservatives?
In truth I truly thought they had at last picked a leader, one who could reform his party.
Not that he can not do it but no sign of it yet, in fact if an election was called tomorrow Labor might just still win!
Given we have the system we will live with in place only a blood bath in Labors ranks or true reform of conservatives can restore this states direction.
We are in need of a leader in NSW any one any side who can lead.

no, belly, we are in need of some ordinary would-be citizens with sufficient brains, education, and self respect.

you're right, i'm not even john the baptist, much less tom paine. but after watching murder done by people in my uniform, i resolved to do what i could to promote democracy, as the best preventative of future occurrences. i bore myself, as well as ozzie readers, but it doesn't take much effort to inform young people that they do not live in a democracy, that they could, and that it would be well worth their while to strive for it.

you are beyond hope. too old, too ignorant, and totally in thrall to the received wisdom of your parliamentary masters. i wish i could say that oz will outgrow your subservience to the master class, but there is a recurrence of government repression tending toward dictatorship that appeared during the howard regime. it may be the stronger tendency in a society like oz, with no grasp of democracy.

We need civil disobedience to bring this Govt to it's knees.They are beyond,shame and redemption.Their noses are firmly intrenched in the trough and they will just go for it over the next 3.5 yrs.NSW will become the rust belt as more chaos and corruption ensues.

We need some serious street demonstrations,letters of protest,refuse to service Govt Depts by private contractors,if possible.Can anyone else think of a way we can cut off their supply of money?

Many in our media can orchestrate this.I'd like to see the Telegraph put their grandstanding posturing into action and organise a day of civil disobedience.Shut the state down in protest and call for the resignation of the entire Iemma Govt.Ask Kevin Rudd to put in an administrator in with the power to sack bureaucrats.

There is a huge corruption scandal engulfing the Iemma Government.

Morris Iemma pledged to reform Laws governing political donations -
including introducing possible bans on donations by property developers - in the wake of the Wollongong sex-for development affair.

Developer donations to the NSW Government totalled $13,180,793 between 1998 - 2007. While developers gave the Liberal Party $8.2 million over the same period.

Mr Iemma said, "Change needs to happen," and promised it would occur well before the end of the year...

I agree with Arjay. It's time the PM stepped in and appointed a Royal Commission - to clean up this mess. Because it's not going to get any better...